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Online Catalogue last updated 17th of September 2023


How (not) to paint a locomotive and line it out and build a spray booth and apply transfers and more..... by Christopher Vine

cover photo

This is the book which was written by Chris Vine after he had struggled for nearly two years to paint his locomotive Bongo, an LNER B1. He made a lot of mistakes along the way and found that there was almost nothing written which was of use to model engineers.

After winning a gold medal at the model engineer exhibition in 2004 and also the Charles Kennion Memorial cup for the best finished model in the show, he was encouraged by the chief judge, to write down what he had found out along the way. This book is the result.

It covers choice of equipment, making a spray booth, paint, preparation, spray painting, hand painting, lining, transfers, a list of suppliers and more...

Model Engineer Magazine said: "This really is the book we've been waiting for years to see. It gives chapter and verse on how to get a great finish on your model. How often have we seen super models spoilt by a poor paint job. It is quite simply the best practical book for model engineers we have seen for decades."

From inside the dust jacket:

Chris had spent six years building a 7 1/4" gauge model of an LNER B1 locomotive, "Bongo", and wanted to paint it to a high standard. This turned out to be easier said than done.

The complete process of painting, lining and reassembly of Bongo took two years of frustration, mistakes and wrong directions but, finally, he won a gold medal at the 2004 Model Engineer Exhibition and the Charles Kennion Memorial Trophy for the best finished model in the show.

It was this success, together with the lack of published help on the subject, that led to his decision to put pen to paper. This is not an academic treatise on painting, but a practical "cook book" from someone who did finally achieve a good result, starting from zero knowledge.

With 168 pages, 130 colour photographs and 30 diagrams, this book takes the beginner through all the necessary stages and processes in painting a model engineering subject. It includes selection and making of equipment, paint, preparation, spray and hand painting, fixing blemishes, lining, transfers, tips on how to look after the paintwork and a list of suppliers.

The many trials, tribulations and disappointments are related, together with the author's solutions to them. It was only when the job was finished and sense of humour restored that people admitted that they had hardly dared to visit any longer because of the endless tales of woe and disaster: Paint running, rough finish, dust, insects, touching the still wet paint, dropping the tender, power failure in the middle of a job, faulty paint, water in the air supply.

If the reader avoids just one of these pitfalls then the cost of the book will have been saved, perhaps several times over.

Code No. 012116, 166 pages, ISBN 9780955335907, $55.00

This item is listed under the following subjects:

Models  
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